Women's Basketball

Strong Second Half Propels MIT to Victory

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - A solid defensive performance in the second half that featured 17 rebounds, 10 turnovers, and five steals helped power MIT to a 52-42 win over Eastern Nazarene College in the consolation game of the UMass Boston Tip-Off Classic on Sunday. Clara Yuan was tabbed to the All-Tournament Team as the Engineers improved to 1-1 on the year.

The Crusaders (0-2) established a 12-5 lead just over five minutes into the game. A pair of free-throws by Kristen Whaley and a three-pointer from Yuan closed the gap to two (12-10) at the 13:28 mark. Eastern Nazarene slowly pushed its advantage to 26-15 with 3:27 left in the half. Amy Marshall drained a lay-up in addition to a free-throw, Cheryl Kwinn registered a three-point play, and Jamie Simmons sank a lay-up as time expired to bring the Engineers within four (27-23) at the break.

The Cardinal and Gray carried the momentum into the second stanza as it tallied 12 unanswered points during the opening 3:20, with a three-point play by Whaley putting MIT up for good. The Crusaders countered with a 12-5 run, cutting their deficit to one (38-37) midway through the frame. A defensive battle ensued before Simmons' lay-up at 7:50 gave the Engineers some breathing room. Less than two minutes later Eastern Nazarene narrowed the margin to two (41-39), but MIT responded with eight straight points for its first double-digit lead with 3:41 remaining.

Yuan paced the Engineers with 13 points as Marshall totaled 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a block. Whaley recorded 14 boards, seven points, and two steals while Kwinn posted 13 caroms, eight points, and three steals. Simmons rounded out MIT's starting contingent with nine points, three assists, and three steals.